Track instrument



W. B. WELLS.

TRACK INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 15. 1919.

1,332, 15 1 Patented Max. 2, L920.

INVENTDR.

'rnn s'rn'rns rna ur WESLEY B. WELLS, OF WILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE UNION SWITCH & SIGNAL COMPANY, OF SWISSVALE, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

TRACK INSTRUMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 2, 1920.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WESLEY B. VVELLs, a citizen of the United States, residing at WVilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Track Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to track instruments, that is, to instruments which are located adjacent a track rail and are arranged to be influenced by the wheels of cars or trains passing along the rail. Such instruments may be utilized to control any desired apparatus, such for example as railway signals, highway signals, and tower indicators.

The object of my invention is the provision of an instrument which has no moving parts, and which is not affected by weather conditions, condition of track, or alinement of the rail.

I will describe one form of track instrument embodyingmy invention, and will then point out the novel features thereof in claims.

The accompanying drawing is a perspective View showing'one form of track instrument embodying my invention.

Referring now to the drawing, the reference character R designates one rail of a railway track. The track instrument com prises two permanent magnets, P, P, which are preferably U-shaped as shown, and which are provided with two soft iron polepieces A, A. Attached to the pole-pieces A, A are two soft iron cores F, F, which terminate near the rail in pole-pieces E and E respectively. The latter pole-pieces are spaced from the rail by a block D of nonmagnetizable material such as brass. The

cores F and F are provided respectively with windings C and C.

The parts are preferably so designed and arranged that normally the reluctance of the air gap B between the pole-pleces E and E is greater than the reluctance of the air gap H between pole-pieces A and A, so that the greater part of the magnetic flux due to the permanent magnets P flows through gap 1-1. When a car wheel passes the instru ment, however, it partially closes air gap B, thus lowering the reluctance of this gap and so causing a momentary flow of flux through cores F and F. This flux induces voltage in windings C and C, which voltage can be utilized for any desired purpose such as to close a properly designed relay.

Although I have herein described only one form of track instrument embodying my invention, it is understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A track instrument comprising a circuit of magnetizable material mounted adjacent a track rail and having a gap so located as to be partially closed by a wheel passing over said rail, and a winding for said circuit.

2. A track instrument comprising a circuit of magnetizable material mounted adjacent a track rail and including a permanent magnet, said circuit having a gap so located as to be partially closed by a wheel passing along said rail, and a winding for said circuit.

8. A track instrument comprising a circuit of magnetizable material mounted adjacent a track rail and having a gap so located as to be partially closed by a wheel passing over said rail, and a winding affected by changes in the reluctance of said circuit.

4:. A track instrument comprising a permanent magnet having pole-pieces, two cores of soft iron attached to said two pole-pieces respectively and terminating in pole-pieces located adjacent a track rail, the reluctance of the air gap between the last-mentioned pole-pieces being normally greater than that of the gap between the first-mentioned polepieces, and the parts being so arranged that the air-gap adjacent the track rail is materially reduced by a car wheel passing along the rail, and windings on said cores.

5. A track instrument comprising a permanent magnet, soft iron cores connected with the poles of said magnet and terminating adjacent a track rail in such manner that the air gap between them is materially reduced by a car wheel passing along said rail, and windings on said cores.

6. A track instrument comprising a permanent magnet, soft iron cores connected with the poles of said magnet and terminating adjacent a track rail in such manner that the air gap between them is materially reduced by a car wheel passing along said rail, the reluctance of said air gap being normally greater than that of the air gap between the poles of said permanent magnet, and a winding on at least one of said memand windings on said cores. bers. 10

7 A track instrument comprising two In testimony whereof I aflix my signature 'magnetizable members terminating adjacent in presence of two witnesses.

a track rail in such manner that the air gap WESLEY B. WELLS.

between them is materially reduced by a Witnesses:

car wheel passing along the rail, means for DOROTHY OBERLEY,

passing magnetic flux through said members, A. L. VENCILL. 

